SMC alum Michelle Gingras was hired as a multimedia sports reporter at the San Diego Union Tribune last September. She works primarily for their television station UT-TV, but her job is to create visual stories for multiple platforms. Gingras has had the opportunity to write, shoot and edit her own stories, and the chance to interview inspiring individuals in the sports field and share their stories with the rest of the world. "It’s been a unique opportunity for me and I couldn’t be happier to be living in such a beautiful city doing what I love most, covering sports," Gingras said.

When asked how the School of Mass Communication has influenced her success in the professional world, Gingras said, "SMC contributed to my career immensely. The professors weren’t only my teachers, but also my mentors and I have maintained relationships with them since graduating." She described how although the journalism field is evolving constantly, her classes were always up to date and she felt as though they trained her on how to handle these changes. "The most helpful classes for me were my reporting classes," Gingras said. "The ability to shoot and edit my own videos helped me to get a job and the focus on both written and visual reporting provided me with the skills that put me ahead. I have my professors to thank for that."

Her plan is to segue into sideline reporting for a network and work her way up from there. "I have faith that I’ll end up wherever I am supposed to be in the future."